Audible speedometer



J. E. KENNEDY.

AUDlBLE SPEEDOMETER.

APPLICATION FILED 020.17, I919.

Patented June 27, 1922.

' L7z0e.n' (7570,22 215921726623 UNITED STATES JOHN E. KENNEDY, 0F GLENS FALLS, NEW YORK.

AUDIBLE SPEEDOMETER.

Specification of team mam. t t J1me- 7, 1 22,

Application filed. December 17, 1919. Serial No. 345,679.

To all whom it may concern: i I Be it known that I, JOHN E. KENNEDY, a

'British subject, and resident of Glens Falls,

in the county of Warren and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Audible Speedometers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is intended to provide an audible speedometer which will act to warn the driver by "an audible signal when the car reaches or maintains a speed in excess of a predetermined rate of speed; It thus frees the eyes of the driver from continual observation of the visible mileage indicating speedometer and automatically warns him when he unwittingly passes any predeterminedrate of speed, thereby increasing the safetyand pleasure of drivlng. It also informs the pamenger when the car is being driven at a speed in excess of'a given rate.

The invention consists primarily in combining with a speed governed member or shaft,'-anaudible signaling device so that when the car is being driven in excess of a given rate of speed the signal automatically Sounds and continues to sound a warning.

By progressively increasing the number of signaling devices in suitable relationship to and coordination with the speed 'controlled member, giving eacha distinctive sound, a complete series may be employed covering the whole range of motor car speeds, at such intervals as may be desired. Another feature of the invention consists in providing means by which any individual signal may, as desired, be rendered non-responsive to speed acceleration, thereby rendering the signaling system a selective one. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated two of the various forms that may be utilized to embody the principles of this invention in which Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the device as applied to the dash of a motor car.

Figure 2 is a front elevation showing the arrangement of the parts on the dash, the electric circuits being indicated diagrammatically in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is. an enlarged longitudinal central sectionillustrating the working parts of 1{the device.

gure 4 is a cros section through the controllin member with the electric circuit and signa indicated diagrammatically.

Figure 5 is a central longitudinal section of the terminal containing member showing the nterior of the two halves Figures 6, 7 and 8 are detail views show ing the application of the invention directly to a dial pointer type of speedometer. F or convenience and certainty I to use electricall operated signaling evices such for examp e as electric buzzers of the well-known construction which are capable of being set to give difl'erent or distinctive sounds so that one signal may be audibly distinguished from another. In both the electrically operated forms of the device herein described the electric circuit which includes the buzzer mechanism leads to terminals through which, by means of an automatic controlling device, the electric current is controlled to cause the alarm to sound when the circuit closin device, whose movement is governed by t e speed of the car, is moved beyond a predetermined position.

In the practice of the invention according to the form illustrated in Figure 1, I mount upon the speedometer shaft a a centrifugal governor b one collar 7) of which is fixed to the shaft a while the free or sliding collar is in the form of a circuit closing plug 6 of insulating material which carries a peripheral ring I) of copper or suitable conducting material forming a bridge for establishing electrical connection between the various terminals that are carried by the surrounding tubular terminal supporting member d.

The terminal supporting member d is preferably made of tubular form and of nonrefer conducting material and carries on one side a longitudinal terminal or contact member 6 which is common to all the electric circuits. On the other side are inserted any desired number of terminal members corresponding to the number of circuits and signals desired to be used. In this case two such terminals are shown at f and 9 through ample 15 miles an hour, the ball governors I) will throw out a certain distance agalnst the pressure of the compressed spring 0 thus causing the circuit closing plug b to move axially along the shaft toward the dash At this predetermined speed the electric bridge or connecting ring 6 closes the circuit by establishing electric connection between terminal 6 and the initial end of terminal 7 so as to permit the current to flow through the buzzer f thereby sounding the alarm.

If the speed of the car be increased to a speed, let us say 25 miles per hour, the further longitudinal traverse of the circuit closing plug acts to establish electric connection between the terminal 6 and the terminal whose initial end is nearer the dash than the initial end of terminal f. At this stage, therefore, the circuit being complete through terminals 9 and e the current flows through buzzer 9 The buzzers preferably should be adjusted-to emit sounds of different pitch so that the driver, "without looking at the speedometer, will know by hearing the second buzzer that the next higher speed has been reached.

The selective principle can be introduced into effective use in this apparatus by providing any suitable form of switch such as a push button switch at f and g in the respective circuits so that by opening this switch normal operation of any individual signaling device may be prevented at will. he course of the electric circuit through the terminals, the manually controlled switches and the se diagrammatically il ustrated in Figure 4.

Instead of applying a mechanical governor to the speedometer shaft or other speed actuated member, the terminals may be assembled directly upon the speedometer device itself particularly-in that type of speedometer which uses a pointer fixed to a rotatable arbor in connection with a circular dial face, and I have shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 how this invention may be applied to a speedometer of such a t pe.

On the arboro of t e speedometer 0 is secured an insulated disk r in which is inserted a radial terminal member r in electric contact with the arbor 0' at its inner end and with its outer end flushwith the periphery of the disk and extending through the thickness of the disk.

Inside the speedometer casing. are mounted two separate terminals 8 and t so adjusted that when the arbor o is moved to the position indicative of any given speed, say 15 miles an hour, the first terminal 8 will be in electric contact with the circuit closer 1" and thus energize the circuit 8" leading to the appropriate signal or alarm and continuing to sound it so long as the speed exceeds 15 miles per hour. A further increase in lpeed arate alarm devices is' accompanied by thefurther rotation of the disk 1- brings the circuit closer 'r' with the next terminal at through which the current flows alon wire t to the corresponding buzzer or signal as already explained in respect to theform of construction shown in Figure 1.

While. the open terminals f and g are shown beginning at different points, along the line of traverse of the circuit closer so as to be closed at different points of said traverse it will be observed that the lower speed terminal overlaps or extends beyond the initial point of the higher speed terminal so that the signal indicative of the lower speed may continue to sound even after the higher speed has been reached. As each signal has its distinctive sound, their simultaneous sounding gives unmistakable indication of speed at or above the higher speed indicated so that there can be no such confusion as might result from having each signal cease to sound when the critical s eed at which the signal acts is exceeded. oreover the inaction of any lower speed indicator when a higher speed indicator is acting would give notice of some. defect, unless such lower speed indicator were cut out by the manual switch in its circuit.

What I claim is:

1. A speed indicating apparatus for a motor car embracing in combination a plu rality of audible electrically operated signaling devices, an electric circuit leading to each signal and including an open terminal separate from the terminal of the other circuit, a circuit closer whose movement is determined by the speed of the car arranged to close the different circuits in succession and a cut out switch arranged in each elec tric circuit to render the individual signals incapable of normal operation, substantially as described.

. 2. A speed indicating apparatus for a motor car embracing in combination a rotar shaft whose speed of rotation varies accor ing to the speed .of the car, a tubular terminal supporting member provided with terminals of different length, a circuit closing member movable by means of said shaft into contact successively with said terminals, a buzzer in circuit with each separate terminal and a manually controlled switch for opening or closing said circuit at will, substantially as described.

3. A speed indicating apparatus for a car, embracing in combination a plurality of audible signals audibly distinguishable from one another, a plurality of open electric circuits one for each audible signal each operating when closed to sound its own signal, a circuit closer controlled according to the speed of the car and acting to close the respective signal circuits at different speeds of the car and to keep each circuit closed while the car maintains or exceeds the critical speed at which said circuit is closed, substantially as described.

4:. A speed. indicating apparatus for a car, embracing in combination a plurality of audible signals audibly distinguishable from one another, a plurality of open electric circuits one for each audible signal each operating when closed to sound its own signal, a circuit closer controlled according to the speed of the car and acting to close the respective signal circuits at different speeds of the car and to keep each circuit closed while the car maintains or exceeds the critical speed at which said circuit is closed, a cut out switch arranged in each circuit to render the same inoperative at will, substantially as described.

5. A speed-indicating apparatus for cars, embracing in combination, a plurality of distinctive audible signals, included in sep arate electric circuits that are open when the car is not running above a predetermined speed, a movable circuit closer whose position is progressively shifted according to the increasing speed of the car to close in succession the open terminals of each circuit, said terminals being extended to conmils will be sounding simultaneously whi e the car speed is maintained at a point corresponding to one or more of the signals indicative of the higher speeds, substantially as described.

6. A speed indicating apparatus for a car, embracing in combination, a plurality of open electric circuits, aplurality of audible signals audibly distinguishable from one another arranged in the respective circuits to be operated when their respective circuits are closed, a circuit closer movable in relation to the open terminals of said circuits to close them in predetermined succession when the car reaches predetermined rates of s eed, and means for shifting said circuit closer according to the change in speed of the car whereby the car operator is kept audibly informed of the speed rate of the car without visual inspection of a speed indicator, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

JOHN E. KENNEDY. 

